Persistent Science
@scienceendures.bsky.social
Current federal employee in science and technology work. Sending my own perspective. My posts aren't official communications.
Sadly, we're getting to see this in real time
January 7, 2026 at 10:02 PM
Sadly, we're getting to see this in real time
Could not agree more.
Can we at least act as though this is a crisis and we want to stop it, even if we don't actually have the power to do so?
Can we at least act as though this is a crisis and we want to stop it, even if we don't actually have the power to do so?
I have had enough. I was more than content to say impeachment was pointless because he will never be convicted by the Senate, and to just focus on impeachment of his lackeys.
But you know what? Impeach him anyway. Create an extensive written record of his high crimes and misdemeanors.
But you know what? Impeach him anyway. Create an extensive written record of his high crimes and misdemeanors.
January 7, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Could not agree more.
Can we at least act as though this is a crisis and we want to stop it, even if we don't actually have the power to do so?
Can we at least act as though this is a crisis and we want to stop it, even if we don't actually have the power to do so?
Reposted by Persistent Science
I have had enough. I was more than content to say impeachment was pointless because he will never be convicted by the Senate, and to just focus on impeachment of his lackeys.
But you know what? Impeach him anyway. Create an extensive written record of his high crimes and misdemeanors.
But you know what? Impeach him anyway. Create an extensive written record of his high crimes and misdemeanors.
January 7, 2026 at 9:23 PM
I have had enough. I was more than content to say impeachment was pointless because he will never be convicted by the Senate, and to just focus on impeachment of his lackeys.
But you know what? Impeach him anyway. Create an extensive written record of his high crimes and misdemeanors.
But you know what? Impeach him anyway. Create an extensive written record of his high crimes and misdemeanors.
It is remarkable to me how much of our current law and governing structure revolves around assumptions of good faith on the part of most players.
I won't call it "lack of imagination", because a Trumpian-style populist is not a new phenomenon.
Regardless of origins, it is in need of correction.
I won't call it "lack of imagination", because a Trumpian-style populist is not a new phenomenon.
Regardless of origins, it is in need of correction.
I‘m getting this question a lot (can there be a defamation lawsuit over DHS people calling the murder victim a terrorist?) and the answer is fairly definitively no for the following reasons.
First, as a general rule you can’t defame the dead. No defamation actions on behalf of dead people here.
/1
First, as a general rule you can’t defame the dead. No defamation actions on behalf of dead people here.
/1
Ken - on the civil suit side, the victim is a private citizen, not public figure, and DHS and Noem don't seem to care much about the truth in the statements they're making. After the criminal proceedings, would defamation be a possibility?
January 7, 2026 at 8:58 PM
It is remarkable to me how much of our current law and governing structure revolves around assumptions of good faith on the part of most players.
I won't call it "lack of imagination", because a Trumpian-style populist is not a new phenomenon.
Regardless of origins, it is in need of correction.
I won't call it "lack of imagination", because a Trumpian-style populist is not a new phenomenon.
Regardless of origins, it is in need of correction.
Reposted by Persistent Science
The idea the president has a popular mandate and accountability superior to Congress would have been baffling, infuriating, and heretical to the people who wrote and ratified the Constitution, and this is obvious to anybody even glancingly familiar with what any of them had to say about it.
December 8, 2025 at 4:07 PM
The idea the president has a popular mandate and accountability superior to Congress would have been baffling, infuriating, and heretical to the people who wrote and ratified the Constitution, and this is obvious to anybody even glancingly familiar with what any of them had to say about it.
Cotton's one of those people with a whole lot of pent up karma waiting for him.
And no one will shed a single tear.
And no one will shed a single tear.
WELKER: Lawmakers say the 2 men appeared to raise their arms potentially to surrender. Why did Admiral Bradley interpret these actions as anything other than them trying to survive?
TOM COTTON: They were sitting or standing on top of a capsized boat. They weren't floating helplessly in the water
TOM COTTON: They were sitting or standing on top of a capsized boat. They weren't floating helplessly in the water
December 7, 2025 at 10:02 PM
Cotton's one of those people with a whole lot of pent up karma waiting for him.
And no one will shed a single tear.
And no one will shed a single tear.
I've followed the back and forth on this for a year, including brilliant posts by bsky.app/profile/evan....
At first, I thought Wurman's position was at least one of intellectual honesty. I don't think we can still say that. And history won't be kind to his memory.
Who knows whether he cares.
At first, I thought Wurman's position was at least one of intellectual honesty. I don't think we can still say that. And history won't be kind to his memory.
Who knows whether he cares.
December 7, 2025 at 10:00 PM
I've followed the back and forth on this for a year, including brilliant posts by bsky.app/profile/evan....
At first, I thought Wurman's position was at least one of intellectual honesty. I don't think we can still say that. And history won't be kind to his memory.
Who knows whether he cares.
At first, I thought Wurman's position was at least one of intellectual honesty. I don't think we can still say that. And history won't be kind to his memory.
Who knows whether he cares.
Increasingly hard to tell in many cases whether "AI" stands for "Artificial Intelligence" or "Arrogant Ignorance".
It's just insane that no pilot thought of this route before AI brilliantly came up with it!!!!!!!!
December 7, 2025 at 9:54 PM
Increasingly hard to tell in many cases whether "AI" stands for "Artificial Intelligence" or "Arrogant Ignorance".
I kind of hope we can distinguish between those who partied with Epstein and playing "six degrees of...". I can't find a date on this, but in the late 2010's, I wouldn't have known Epstein was bad news, and as a scientist, I (or my agent) might have accepted an invitation on this, too.
A whole lotta liberals who were willing to take Epstein’s money turning off their phones tonight.
November 13, 2025 at 1:35 AM
I kind of hope we can distinguish between those who partied with Epstein and playing "six degrees of...". I can't find a date on this, but in the late 2010's, I wouldn't have known Epstein was bad news, and as a scientist, I (or my agent) might have accepted an invitation on this, too.
I'm not a survivor of sexual assault/abuse. That said, having interacted with other survivors, I suspect they would find it highly offensive and craven that Mace is trying to bury Epstein victims shaming people into focusing on the government shutdown vote(!) instead.
November 12, 2025 at 4:08 PM
I'm not a survivor of sexual assault/abuse. That said, having interacted with other survivors, I suspect they would find it highly offensive and craven that Mace is trying to bury Epstein victims shaming people into focusing on the government shutdown vote(!) instead.
So many possible follow-ups to nail this guy down. Reporters know at this point Johnson will feign ignorance. The Speaker of the House gets paid to do a job, and he's basically claiming incompetence. Make it an albatross for him.
Unbelievable. This is literally his answer to every new Trump scandal. Congenital liar MAGA Mike. bsky.app/profile/acyn...
Raju: Last week, you were very critical of Biden, you said he didn’t even know who was pardoning. On 60 minutes, Trump admitted not knowing he pardoned a crypto billionaire guilty of money laundering. Is that also concerning?
Johnson: I don’t know anything about it.
Johnson: I don’t know anything about it.
November 3, 2025 at 4:04 PM
So many possible follow-ups to nail this guy down. Reporters know at this point Johnson will feign ignorance. The Speaker of the House gets paid to do a job, and he's basically claiming incompetence. Make it an albatross for him.
Obviously, refusing to negotiate with Democrats while hoping they cave has not been a successful strategy.
Is it too much to ask for Mike Johnson to get his members back to DC and actually negotiate a compromise, or are we just going to keep doing the same thing day after day?
Is it too much to ask for Mike Johnson to get his members back to DC and actually negotiate a compromise, or are we just going to keep doing the same thing day after day?
November 3, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Follow-ups on questions like this would be really helpful.
"I haven't seen that yet" <-- well, now that you know, what is your comment?
"I haven't seen them cross the line yet" <-- So, to be clear, unprovoked shooting faith leaders with pepper balls is acceptable conduct to you?
"I haven't seen that yet" <-- well, now that you know, what is your comment?
"I haven't seen them cross the line yet" <-- So, to be clear, unprovoked shooting faith leaders with pepper balls is acceptable conduct to you?
Q: We've seen images out of Chicago of federal agents shooting faith leaders with pepper balls and arresting journalists. Where's the limit for you on what's acceptable conduct by federal agents?
MIKE JOHNSON: I've not seen them cross the line yet.
MIKE JOHNSON: I've not seen them cross the line yet.
October 14, 2025 at 4:36 PM
Follow-ups on questions like this would be really helpful.
"I haven't seen that yet" <-- well, now that you know, what is your comment?
"I haven't seen them cross the line yet" <-- So, to be clear, unprovoked shooting faith leaders with pepper balls is acceptable conduct to you?
"I haven't seen that yet" <-- well, now that you know, what is your comment?
"I haven't seen them cross the line yet" <-- So, to be clear, unprovoked shooting faith leaders with pepper balls is acceptable conduct to you?
Off-the-rails propaganda from DHS/ICE.
The thing is, with the current bent of mainstream media, I have absolutely no doubt that a "wave of violence" against ICE, were one actually occurring, would be plastered all over front pages.
As with Portland and Chicago being hellholes, this is entirely invented.
As with Portland and Chicago being hellholes, this is entirely invented.
October 14, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Off-the-rails propaganda from DHS/ICE.
Reposted by Persistent Science
Anyone heard from the Twitter Files losers lately?
October 14, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Anyone heard from the Twitter Files losers lately?
I guess I never realized what a whiner Netanyahu really is.
Anything to distract from his corruption, I guess. Very Trumpian.
Anything to distract from his corruption, I guess. Very Trumpian.
September 26, 2025 at 1:31 PM
I guess I never realized what a whiner Netanyahu really is.
Anything to distract from his corruption, I guess. Very Trumpian.
Anything to distract from his corruption, I guess. Very Trumpian.
Reposted by Persistent Science
credit to Holly Allen on our art team (not on Bsky I don't think) I did not realize you could actually check the signature against _a different friendly note he wrote to Jeffrey Epstein_
September 8, 2025 at 7:49 PM
credit to Holly Allen on our art team (not on Bsky I don't think) I did not realize you could actually check the signature against _a different friendly note he wrote to Jeffrey Epstein_
Reposted by Persistent Science
Looks like he's signed with only his first name when not writing a note to Epstein too.
www.wsaz.com/content/news...
www.wsaz.com/content/news...
September 8, 2025 at 8:18 PM
Looks like he's signed with only his first name when not writing a note to Epstein too.
www.wsaz.com/content/news...
www.wsaz.com/content/news...
Reposting to emphasize the fear in MAGA and the White House at this point.
Just a note: the signatures the Deputy CoS posts here, when compared with current signatures, are pretty clearly just of Trump's last name.
Seems kind of desperate to me, and reflects a lack of confidence that comparing old signatures of his first name would be damning.
Seems kind of desperate to me, and reflects a lack of confidence that comparing old signatures of his first name would be damning.
September 8, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Reposting to emphasize the fear in MAGA and the White House at this point.
Just received a weather alert in the DC area, and I have to be honest: before I looked I thought it was an "incoming economic collapse" warning.
July 16, 2025 at 4:08 PM
Just received a weather alert in the DC area, and I have to be honest: before I looked I thought it was an "incoming economic collapse" warning.
Excellent. The last thing we need is the last bastion of competence maintaining a functioning economy.
July 16, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Excellent. The last thing we need is the last bastion of competence maintaining a functioning economy.
Reposted by Persistent Science
You have to imagine a scene with Susie Wiles like scene in Apollo 13 where they have the little box of random plugs and pipes and connectors and they say this is all we have to bring the ship back in one piece. But now it’s this is all we have to convince all of our supporters that Epstein was good.
July 16, 2025 at 4:00 PM
You have to imagine a scene with Susie Wiles like scene in Apollo 13 where they have the little box of random plugs and pipes and connectors and they say this is all we have to bring the ship back in one piece. But now it’s this is all we have to convince all of our supporters that Epstein was good.
Usually, I can kind of catch the drift of whatever MAGA conspiracy/talking point he's leveraging. Here, it's true gibberish.
Trump wraps his speech on the big bill: "Schumer - our great Palestinian senator. He's changed. He used to like Jewish people, now he's totally against Jewish people. Try the weightlifting numbers some day if you want to see big differences. In a million years women will never catch these numbers"
June 26, 2025 at 9:12 PM
Usually, I can kind of catch the drift of whatever MAGA conspiracy/talking point he's leveraging. Here, it's true gibberish.
They are serious. They are serious, deeply unAmerican, and ruined people.
And we need to clean house if we're to have a future. We cannot go forward as a nation if such people are left with any power at all.
And we need to clean house if we're to have a future. We cannot go forward as a nation if such people are left with any power at all.
This is a shockingly racist call by a House Republican for Zohran Mamdani to be denaturalized and deported. But instead of being viewed as unserious, it's now being promoted and circulated by LibsOfTikTok, Benny Johnson and MAGA regulars.
Democrats need to understand that Republicans are serious.
Democrats need to understand that Republicans are serious.
June 26, 2025 at 9:09 PM
They are serious. They are serious, deeply unAmerican, and ruined people.
And we need to clean house if we're to have a future. We cannot go forward as a nation if such people are left with any power at all.
And we need to clean house if we're to have a future. We cannot go forward as a nation if such people are left with any power at all.